1 day Ago
A call is being for made a new crackdown on shellfish-pickers who are ‘decimating’ the stocks of a Pembrokeshire beach. Between 200 and 250 people descended on Saundersfoot’s Glen Beach on the afternoon of Sunday March 30, leaving with countless bags, trollies and containers of razor clams, mussels and cockles. They took advantage of the very low tide to flock to the beach, causing congestion on its narrow approach road with their vehicles.
The issue has been a problem for some years, and was the subject of a multi-agency operation in 2022. It has been frequently highlighted by Saundersfoot South county councillor, Chris Williams, who said this week that - following Sunday’s numbers - ‘enough is enough’. He is now arranging a meeting with Saundersfoot Harbour officers, the Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales and Dyfed-Powys Police to discuss the situation further.
Welsh Government marine enforcement officers were also in the area monitoring Sunday’s situation. Information and warning signage has now been promised by the Welsh Government for the approach to the beach. “I want people to know that hopefully some action is being taken, as feelings are running high and I don’t want individuals taking matters into their own hands,” Cllr Williams added.
“I counted between 200 and 250 people picking shellfish down on the beach on Sunday - that was the largest number I have ever seen. “I’m not talking about local people picking for their own use, I mean the people going back and forth to their vehicles with trollies full of shellfish. “They’re coming en masse, in family groups, with salt machines, trollies, the lot.
“People are fearing that the beach is being absolutely decimated. “It was the highest tide for 40 years on Sunday, and it brought them out in force. “But they’re coming all the time at low tide, and that could be in the middle of the night.
“The inconvenience they are causing to local residents is constant – they are parking their vehicles over the pavements, blocking people’s drives, leaving litter everywhere and even moving a bollard installed by Welsh Water so they can park a couple of extra cars.” A spokesman for Pembrokeshire County Council, said: "As Saundersfoot beach is not commercially classified, no commercial gathering of live bivalve molluscs (which includes cockles) for human consumption is permitted, "However, legislation allows for small quantities of personal use gathering of cockles or other live bivalves. "This is enforced by Welsh Government Marine Enforcement Officers based in Milford Haven.
"Gathering for commercial purposes is different in that beds must be classified by the Food Standards Agency and monitored regularly by the Local Authority." A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "The 2024 cockle Order only covers a specified area i.e.
Welsh Government managed public commercial cockle fisheries being the Three Rivers, Whiteford, Burry Inlet, Traeth Lafan, Traeth Melynog and Red Wharf Bay. These fisheries are in areas where the waters have been given a classification for permitted levels of E.coli as they are commercially exploited for human consumption.
"The area around Tenby and Saundersfoot is not currently classified, if anyone suspects the shellfish is being picked for commercial use they should contact the Local Authority (Pembrokeshire County Council) and/or Food Standards Agency. "The Local Authority and/or the Food Standards Agency may also be able to give advice regarding the risks of picking for personal consumption in a non-classified area. Problems with littering, parking or other road offences and creating a public nuisance should be reported also to the Local Authority and Dyfed-Powys Police.
"Welsh Government Marine Enforcement Officers only have jurisdiction in this area with regard to legislation governing the size of cockles and/or razor clams.".
